Johnny Nicholas And The Texas All Stars – Rockin’ My Blues To Sleep (Topcat Records).

Although this is a 2001 recording it probably hasn’t seen the light of day on this side of the Atlantic. Produced by Stephen Bruton, who also plays on the CD, this is Nicholas’ first recording for Dallas based Topcat Records. He opens with an original, the eponymous title track which is a rocking blues on the rock n roll side of the fence. It’s very reminiscent of Dave Edmunds’ style but when you add Nicholas’ silky voice it makes it a more rounded sound. The addition of horns is usually a good thing and Mark ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff (tenor sax), Rocky Morales (tenor sax), John Mills (baritone sax) and Al Gomez (trumpet) make up a mean horn section. Rain Down Tears is a sleek blues but sometimes a little too pronounced. The sax and guitar breaks are excellent, though. There’s a familiar theme to The Last Meal. This prison tale of a last, unobtainable meal for a prisoner is played in the big band style of blues and is not without humour. I’m A Fool To Care is a rock and roll shuffler and although it has a good sax solo it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The pace and standard lifts significantly on Lloyd Price’s Where You At? This is out and out rock and roll and Nicholas is certainly very good at that -- very enjoyable with top guitar work this time. So far, Nicholas’ voice has been very precise but on the strong blues of Reap What You So the veneer finally cracks as he injects a bit of passion to his vocal.

Woke Up Screamin’ sees the introduction of Marcia Ball on lead vocals and makes for a second very strong blues on the trot. The guitar player is given another chance and shows that he is technically superb. J.B. Lenoir’s Mama Talk To Your Daughter is good old time rock and roll and shows again the tightness of this band. They can do slow ones as well and In The Doorway Cryin’ is a case in point. Having said that, Nicholas does like to stay in the zone of rock and roll, R&B and blues. There’s more big band style blues boogie on The Hustle Is On. Just think Jools Holland but with a singing voice. There are some hot horns on this one. The well-known Things I Used To Do is given a rolling Texas treatment and is a good version despite it not being as vocally powerful as some of the previous incarnations. There’s more of that Texas All Stars sound on Fats Domino’s Before I Grow Too Old, the sound being full, round horns and a rolling, swinging rock and roll. They finish, as they started, with an original and Boogie Back To Texas does what it says on the tin. A great finish that shows a top band on top form.

www.topcatrecords.com

David Blue.